William hebleb



(NoModel.) l

W. HEBLER.

BARREL FOR PIRE ARMS. N0. 296,958.

IINiTnD Smarts Farmer @erica WILLIAM HEBLER, OF ZURICH, SVITZERLAND.

BARREL FOR FIRE-ARMS.

SIECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,958, dated April l5, 1884.

Application filed January 11. 1883. (No model.) Patented in Italy December 27, 1852, No. 14,898; in Belgium December B0. 188:2, No. 59,888; in Sweden March 13, 1883; in France March 30, 1883, Nodg; in Spain May 6, 1883, No. 3,747, and in England July 3, 1883, No. 338.

To @ZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM HEBLER, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at Zurich, Switzerland, have invented a new and useful Small-Arm, of which the folistic improvements in the riding of the barrelV extreme accuracy is attained.

Figure I represents the projectile in its seat in the barrel, about seven times enlarged. Fig. II, a section of the bore, also seven times enlarged. Fig. III is a side elevation of a cartridge for alarge number of grooves. Fig. IV is a side elevation of a cartridge for a less number of grooves. Fig. V is a side elevation of a cartridge for a small number of grooves; and Figs. V I and VII are side elevations of projectiles on a larger scale, showing in dotted lines the depression for the twisted-up end of the paper that incloses it.

In the fire-arms that have been in use previous to my invention thel diameter of the,

projectile, with its surrounding paper, is less than that of the bore in the grooves, and the projectile is caused to fill the grooves by the upsetting or slugging when acted upon by the gases which are developed by the exploding powder.

In my present invention, the diameter of the 'projectile c, with its inclosing-paper b, should be equal to one-tenth of a millimeter larger than the diameter d of the bore in the grooves, and in firing the land or ungrooved projecting portions or ridges c oi the barrel are pressed into the projectile, rather than the projectile being upset into the grooves, as heretofore. The twisted-up end of the surrounding paper Z1 is coniined in a slight hollow or chamber at the bottom of the projectile. A slight conoidal portion-say between the points x, Fig. 1-connects the ritled part of the barrel with the bullet-seat. In order the better to confine the gas produced in tiring the cartridge, I make the grooves very shallow and comparatively wide and the lands narrow. The faces of the grooves and lands are arcs of concentric circles, and the meeting edges of said grooves and lands are curved or rounded. By this construction it the grooves enable the bore to be kept clean more easily than the sharp right angular edges. rIlie barrel, the bore of which is represented in section seven times enlarged in Fig. II, has more grooves than usual, and the latter have such a forni, as described, that when there are, for example, eight Vor more grooves, the bullet will be so perfectly guided that there will be no need of any wads or expansion-chambers to insure a gas-tight lit. rlhis is illustrated in Fig. III. With the larger number of grooves, f, their depth will be lessened, so that with twelve grooves their depth will be but from .09 to .15 millimeters, and the bullet will be less disiigured and the bore will be kept cleaner. W'hile departing somewhat from the principle of employing a large number of grooves, I can yet insure the proper guidance oi' the bullet by the improvements shown in Figs. IV and V.

Fig. IV shows a cartridge for a bore with six to eight grooves. Behind the bullet I place a wad of paper-board, g, soaked with melted 'wax or other fatty substance, separated from the powder by a thin paper disk.

Fig. V shows a cartridge for less than six grooves in the bore, in which I place directly behind the bullet a rubber wad, li, then a fatted wad or" 'paper board, and a disk of thin paper board between the latter and the powder. lVith the large number of very shallow grooves, I give to my small bore a very rapid pitch. For example, instead of a pitch of one turn in from fifty to seventy centimeters, I give it one turn in from fifteen to forty centimeters. The length of the bullet in comparison to its diameter, as well as its actual length, is greater than that of those heretofore used. Referring to Figs. VI and VII, where the bullet is enlarged to twice the size of those shown in Figs.

IOO

III, IV, and V, this increase in length is illustrated, and it may be tabulated thus: Length of old-style bullet, from two and one-fourth to two and three-fon rth times its diameter; length of my bullet, from three to six times its diameter. For a bullet of, say, ten millimeters diameter, the length will be three diameters, and for one of six millimeters diameter the length will be six diameters.

The metal employed for making the bullets is an a-lloy composed of lead and tin, or lead and antimony, and it is a great deal harder and tougher than the material previously used. I take, for instance, ninety-two per cent. lead and eight per cent. tin, or ninety-six per cent. lead and four per cent. antimony; but the proportion ofthe diiferent metals may be varied Within rather Wide limits. By the hardness of the material, the upsetting or slugging of the bullet is reduced t0 a minimum, and there will be agreat deal less friction in the bore, so that the barrel will be less heated, because the bullet of harder material will be less upset and less pressed against the sides ofthe bore. The hardness of the bullet increases also the penetration, because the bullet in striking a body l and the recoil less.

will be less upset and battered than a bullet of softer material would be.

Theherein-described reduction of caliber, made capable of practical operation by the before vmentioned factors, affords over the large-bored arms heretofore in use a much flatter trajectory, and consequently more extended space for operative action, as well as a longer effective range; and the ammunition is lighter By the increased pitch, in combination with the other above-citedimprovements, it is possible to give to a long slender projectile so high a speed of rotation thail its axis becomes perfectly stable, and remains so to the end of its flight.

*In order to transform tire-arms already in use into small-bored riiles, in accordance with this invention, it is only necessary to replace the old barrel with one made as herein described.

The ammunition employed with the smallbore rifle is equally well adapted for single shot and for repeating-arms.

I claiml. The ride-barrel having broad shallow grooves and narrow lands, the surfaces of which lands and the bottoms of which grooves are in arcs of concentric circles, the said landsl and grooves being connected by curved lor rounded portions, and having a pitch of one turn in from fifteen to forty centimeters, and also having a slightly con-oidal portion connecting the riiled portion ofthe barrel with the bullet-seat, as set forth.

2.' A rii'led gun-barrel provided with a bullet-seat ot' slightly conoidal form, adapted to receive a projectile or bullet, the diameter of which bullet, including its envelope or wrap-v per, is greater than the diameter of the bore of the barrel taken in the grooves, whereby, as the cartridge is fired, the bullet is engaged by the lands, and the space in the barrel behind the bullet is rendered gas-tight, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM I-IEBLER.

lVit-nesses:

F. N. I-IAEFELI, E. BLUM. 

